Boris Johnson on printer blockade: ‘Attack on the free press’ | Abroad

Newspaper buyers therefore did not have much choice on Saturday morning. Only The Guardian were in the shops and The Daily Mirror. The attention that these newspapers give to the climate is, according to the action group, in order. They were spared by the environmentalists, who, according to British media, would have received support from the radical left.

To accommodate readers, The Daily Telegraph decided on Saturday to temporarily remove the paywall for reading the articles online.

Activists arrived late Friday night, blocking roads at print shops near London and Liverpool. They wanted to prevent some newspapers from being distributed to the public. “The climate crisis is an existential threat to humanity. That should be on the front page every day, but instead much of our media is ignoring the issue, ”said a climate activist, according to The Guardian newspaper.

The blockade hit titles from media company News Corp, the Daily Mail and The London Evening Standard. The company behind the printers, Newsprinters, says the titles were forced to print in other locations. As a result, newspapers were later on the shelves in some places. After initially allowing the protests, the police say they have arrested at least 80 people for the action at the printing plant in Waltham Cross, a town near London.

Free press is essential

“A free press is essential to hold the government and other powerful institutions accountable on issues critical to the future of our country, including the fight against climate change. It is completely unacceptable to restrict public access to news in this way, ”Johnson writes on Twitter.

The British minister Priti Patel (Home Affairs) also lashed out at the demonstrators. “People across the country cannot read their newspaper this morning due to Extinction Rebellion,” she responded on Twitter. She spoke of a “completely unacceptable attack on our free press, society and democracy”

Extinction Rebellion wants countries to do more against climate change. The group believes there is a human-made emergency that threatens life on Earth. Activists are also campaigning in the Netherlands to draw attention to this.

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